Michael Craven Christian News Articles

Spending This Christmas or Spending It Well: Resisting Consumerism

Monday, December 2, 2013

The Christmas season is once again upon us and with it overwhelming encouragement from Madison Avenue to spend what we have not earned to buy what we cannot afford. The thrust of this consumerist message is that the holiday is best enjoyed or most fully realized through the acquisition of “things.”

#Christmas

Giving Thanks to God: Losing a National Tradition

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

As we, once again, approach this national day of “thanksgiving” I thought it necessary to reflect upon our nation’s long history of acknowledging and giving thanks to the Almighty God.

#Thanksgiving

Would You “Give Up Everything” for the Kingdom?

Monday, November 18, 2013

This is the question, of sorts, I recently posed to a local businessman. As I indicated in my last commentary, I have embarked on an enterprise that I believe offers a modern example of what Jesus meant when he told his disciples to “seek first the kingdom” (Matt. 6:33).

#kingdom of God

Christians in America: Out of Touch and Out of Reach

Monday, August 26, 2013

A recent study found that 20 percent of non-Christians in North America really do not "personally know" any Christians. Christianity Today points out, "that number includes atheists and agnostics, many of whom are former Christians themselves and more likely to have close Christian contacts. Without that group, 60 percent of the non-Christian population has no relationships with Christians."

#missions

Moral Insanity: California's Transgender-Student Bill

Monday, August 19, 2013

Our first response to the California decision might be anger or even disgust, but when filtered through the lens of Paul's letter to the church in Rome, I submit that we may want to respond differently.

The Russian Demographic Crisis: Resisting the Influence of a Sexualized Culture

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Russian president Vladimir Putin ignited outrage among the pro-homosexual community by signing into law a ban on homosexual adoption. The new law also prohibits adoption by single parent households. While these latter measures are no doubt draconian, they nonetheless represent a growing realization within Russian society, namely: sexual anarchy has proven devastating to the future of their civilization.

Why is Christianity Losing in America? Part 2: Becoming Citizens of the Kingdom

Monday, June 17, 2013

It is the present form of Christianity—uniquely influenced by American culture—that is failing precisely because it has been enculturated with ideas foreign to the kingdom of God and the good news of the kingdom. In essence, the American church has succumbed to the lure of personal peace and affluence—elements of the American dream.

Why is Christianity Losing in America? Part 3: Living through the Cross

Monday, June 17, 2013

If Jesus commands us to “seek first the kingdom” then it is imperative that we know more precisely what this means. If the kingdom is as the Bible describes, the rule and reign of God come to earth through Jesus the King over all other kings then this reality carries enormous implications for how we are to live and act as faithful followers of Christ.

Why is Christianity Losing in America?

Monday, June 3, 2013

This is the question with which all serious Christians must wrestle. To think that Christianity is thriving in America simply ignores the obvious and overwhelming facts of our times.

Practical Unity: Living Out the Words of Jesus to “Be One”

Monday, May 13, 2013

It’s easy to talk about “unity within the church” as long as we’re talking in the abstract. However, what do you do when a Christian brother or sister offends you or sins against you? Do you “write them off” and go your separate ways? I submit this is often the easier choice, but Jesus and the standards of his kingdom rule do not permit us to do so.